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Results tagged ‘ Wisconsin Timber Rattlers ’

I’m here this evening on a truncated timetable to chime in on the upcoming Affiliate Shuffle. And I’m not talking about the latest dance craze sweeping the internet.

(To be honest though, how much fun would a dance be called the “Affiliate Shuffle”? You could get front offices from around the different affiliated minor league franchises to participate. They could film videos. YouTube would go crazy. The best part? It only comes around every other year and last no longer than a couple of weeks. You wouldn’t have time to get sick it. You’d bob your head and stomp your feet. A little rhythmic clapping to go along with it. Yes, the “Affiliate Shuffle” would take the world by storm! Sell t-shirts. Sell lunchboxes! Sell VHS tapes teaching you the dance in the comfort and anonymity of your own home!)

You know what the least likely part of that entire digression is? That you wouldn’t have time to get sick of it. MLB is tremendous at a lot of things, and it’s ability to overplay a song is breathtaking.

But anyway, like I said earlier, I’m on a time crunch here.

That being the case, let’s lay out the facts:

Player Development Contracts (“PDCs”) are agreed to in even-numbered totals of years. This is because when affiliates change, there is a ton of work that goes in. It would be wildly unfair to expect an affiliated organization to potentially overhaul so many parts of their organization on an annual basis.

Affiliated organizations agree to these PDCs with Major League Baseball clubs. To put it plainly, these contracts result in the team where organizations send their minor league players to compete and develop.

The Brewers have five organizations under such contracts during these two-year windows.

At the conclusion of 2014, four of those PDCs (Triple-A, Double-A, High-A, rookie ball) were set to expire.

So that’s where we found ourselves with the 2014 season winding down. The only affiliate under a PDC after 2014 was set to be the Class-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, who currently are signed through 2016.

First, some good news came down the pipe as it was announced in August that the Brewers and their rookie ball affiliate in Helena were signing a four-year PDC extension. One down, three to go.

It had been widely assumed that the moving-to-Biloxi-Mississippi Huntsville Stars would stay with the Brewers. The Biloxi team even hired the outgoing Huntsville Stars’ general manager Buck Rogers, so continuity appeared to be a goal. As of the moment I hit publish, there has been no official announcement from either side that the relationship will continue. That being said, Baseball America was operating under the assumption that the PDC renewed automatically for two years. I spoke to someone who said that if the relationship is going to continue, he assumed it would be guaranteed for longer than just a two-year auto renewal. It remains to be seen how it ultimately shakes out.

In the same way as the Double-A affiliate, High-A Brevard County in Florida was shown on the same report from Baseball America to have been renewed for two years. There are some extenuating circumstances surrounding the Manatees, but it appears for now as though the PDC will be renewed there as well.

So if that accounts for three of the four expiring PDCs, we’re brought to the situation in Nashville.

The Nashville Sounds have been the Triple-A affiliate of the Brewers since 2005, which adds up to a cool decade in the Music City. The Brewers put up with an aging facility at the end of this most recent PDC extension. And when Nashville and the Sounds finally got together on a new facility at Sulphur Dell, it was hoped that the Brewers would be benefitting from enduring Greer Stadium. Instead, however, it appears that the Sounds want a new tenant beginning in 2015. That would be unfortunate timing for the Brewers what with the new facility, but then again the PDC almost wasn’t renewed following the 2012 season due to Greer Stadium and a bit of contentiousness.

The bottom line as things stands today is that the Brewers have some potential flux in their minor league system. Tuesday, September 16, 2014 is the first day that teams can officially announce new affiliations. There’s a bit of a potential carousel effect which could take place if rumors hold true.

Those rumors include the A’s leaving Sacramento and affiliating with Nashville (as already mentioned), the San Francisco Giants affiliating in Sacramento and leaving Fresno, and the Brewers possibly ending up affiliating with the Fresno Grizzlies who have been the Giants Triple-A affiliate since 1998. The franchise moved to Fresno in 1998 and was, ironically, a Brewers affiliate in their final season as the original incarnation of the Tucson Toros.

So, there’s much to be revealed beginning Tuesday. Hopefully the dust settles quickly and the Brewers will know where their top prospects will be playing ball for at least the next two years, be that in Fresno or some other option.

Tickets on Sale Tomorrow to see the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers vs. the Beloit Snappers

The Milwaukee Brewers have announced that the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers will play a Midwest League game at Miller Park on Saturday, May 24. The Timber Rattlers will face the Beloit Snappers, the Class-A affiliate of the Oakland A’s. Game time is scheduled for 6:10 p.m.

“The Brewers and Timber Rattlers have had a strong partnership for a number of years and this is a great opportunity for our fans to see our future stars,” said Brewers Chief Operating Officer Rick Schlesinger. “It’s also a great opportunity for these players to get the thrill of playing at Miller Park.”

Tickets will go on sale tomorrow at 9 a.m. Prices are $10 for Field Diamond Box seats and $5 for all other seat locations. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Miller Park Box Office, online at Brewers.com, or by calling the Brewers Ticket Office at (414) 902-4000 or 1-800-933-7890.

“We are excited to be returning to Miller Park this year as it has been a fan favorite and it allows our fans in the Milwaukee area the opportunity to see some of the top prospects in the Brewers organization right in their own backyard, said Timber Rattlers President Rob Zerjav. “We also know it is a day our players mark on their calendar and gives them the chance to get a taste of what they are striving to achieve.”

The game will be a home game for Beloit, with Wisconsin as the visiting team.

“The Beloit Snappers are pleased to return to Milwaukee to play our in-state rival, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, once again,” said Dennis Conerton, President of the Beloit Professional Baseball Association. “Our two earlier games in 2003 and 2004 were exciting experiences for both fans and players alike and we look forward to another opportunity to showcase our Major League players of tomorrow in the confines of beautiful Miller Park.”

This will mark the seventh time in team history that the Timber Rattlers will play a game at Miller Park. On August 14, 2003, the Timber Rattlers and the Beloit Snappers first met in a Midwest League battle, with the Snappers prevailing 4-2. At the time, the Snappers were the Class-A affiliate of the Brewers. The game featured future Brewers players such as Prince Fielder, Tony Gwynn, Manny Parra, and Rickie Weeks. The two teams also met on August 12, 2004 at Miller Park in a game that the Snappers won by a 5-0 score.

On April 24, 2009, the Timber Rattlers played at Miller Park as a Brewers affiliate for the first time and defeated the Chiefs, 5-3. The Timber Rattlers dropped a 6-1 decision to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on May 7, 2010. Wisconsin earned a 5-1 win over the Peoria Chiefs on June 29, 2011 and defeated the Dayton Dragons by a 3-0 score on April 27, 2012.

Other current Brewers who have played in Timber Rattlers games at Miller Park include Khris Davis, Scooter Gennett, Jim Henderson and Wily Peralta.

The Timber Rattlers have been a minor league affiliate of the Brewers since the 2009 season.

As you all know, I like to interview players shortly after they’re drafted in an effort to help the fan base get to know them as well and learning more about them than just the numbers from college or high school say or what’s in a scouting report. I interviewed the Brewers’ 2013 11th round draft pick AndyHillis back in June this year, for example.

I also like to follow up with the players every now and then, and that’s what I had the pleasure of doing yesterday with 2012 1st Round draft pick Mitch Haniger.

(If you missed my original interview with Haniger in 2012, you can find a link to it here.)

In the conversation we talk about his 2013 season which was split between Class-A Wisconsin and Class-A Advanced Brevard County, his being selected as the Brewers priority exception to the 2013 edition of the Arizona Fall League, and what his off-season plans are.

Please take a listen, learn a little bit more about an up and coming outfield prospect in the Brewers system, and get to know Mitch Haniger a bit better.

The Milwaukee Brewers today announced the Minor League coaching staffs for the 2013 season. In addition, Rick Tomlin has been named minor league pitching coordinator. The position was previously held by Brewers Bullpen Coach Lee Tunnell. Tomlin enters his 24th season in the Minor Leagues, which includes coaching roles with Minnesota (1989-1995), New York-AL (1996-2004), Washington (2005-08) and New York-NL (2009-11). He previously served as a minor league pitching coordinator with the Yankees (2002-04) and Mets (2011).

At Triple-A Nashville, Manager Mike Guerrero and Pitching Coach Fred Dabney each return for their second season. Bob Skube joins the Sounds as coach after spending the past six seasons as a hitting coach in the San Diego Padres organization, including the previous two seasons at Triple-A Tucson. He also spent two seasons in the Texas Rangers organization (2005-06). In 2006, he managed the Rangers’ rookie-level affiliate in Arizona. Skube, who was drafted by the Brewers in the 13th round of the 1979 June Draft, played in the Brewers organization from 1979-85. He appeared in 16 Major League games with the Brewers during the 1982-83 seasons, batting .250 with 9 RBI.

Aaron Hoback enters his first season as Nashville’s athletic trainer and his seventh season in the organization. He spent the past three seasons at Double-A Huntsville. Andrew Emmick begins his fourth season as strength and conditioning specialist.

The Double-A Huntsville Stars will see the return of Manager Darnell Coles and Pitching Coach Chris Hook. The coach is to be announced. Dwayne Hosey, who held the position last season, will serve as coach at Rookie Helena in 2013. Athletic Trainer Steve Patera begins his first season at Huntsville following two seasons with the Rookie Arizona Brewers. Tim Gifford returns for his second season as strength and conditioning specialist.

The coaching staff at Class-A Brevard County will remain the same in 2013. The staff includes Manager Joe Ayrault, Pitching Coach Mark Dewey and Coach Ned Yost IV, who all return to the Manatees for their second season. Athletic Trainer Tommy Craig and Strength and Conditioning Coach Jonah Mergen also return.

The Rookie Helena Brewers will be managed by Tony Diggs, who spent the previous seven seasons as manager of the rookie-level Arizona Brewers. Pitching Coach Elvin Nina returns for his fifth season and coach Dwayne Hosey will make the move from Huntsville. Don Money, who coached at Helena last season, will continue in his second season as special instructor, player development in the minor league system. He spent 14 seasons managing at various levels in the organization from 1998-2011.

ARIZONA BREWERS

Nestor Corredor will manage the Arizona Brewers in 2013 following three seasons at the helm of the Rookie Dominican League Brewers. Pitching Coach Steve Cline returns for his 33rd season as a pitching coach in the minors, including his 18th season as a member of the Brewers farm system. Coach Kenny Dominguez and Strength and Conditioning Specialist Jake Marx also return. Greg Barajas, who spent last season as athletic trainer at Triple-A Nashville, will fill the same role with the Arizona Brewers. The staff for the Rookie Dominican Summer League Brewers will be announced at a later date.

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2011 – #64

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